ABC's "2011 AMAs" Grows Year to Year in Viewers and Across Virtually
All Key Younger Demos, While Achieving a 7-Year-High with Teens 12-17

WEEK No. 9:

During the week of November 14, 2011, ABC ran a strong No. 2 with Total Viewers (9.6 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.7/7) to CBS, outdelivering the third-place networks by 2.8 million viewers (NBC = 6.8 million) and by 17% in young adults (Fox = 2.3/6). ABC finished within 2-tenths of an Adult 18-49 rating point of the No. 1 position for the 2nd week in a row, nearly tying an NFL Sunday primetime overrun-boosted CBS (2.7/7 vs. 2.9/8). In addition, the Network ranked No. 1 across all key Women demos (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).

· For the 9th week running this season, ABC grew its overall audience year to year during the 10 o'clock hour (+15% - 8.5 million vs. 7.4 million). On average this season (9 Complete Weeks) on Monday-Friday from 10:00-11:00 p.m. as a lead-in to affiliates' late-local news, ABC is exhibiting double-digit percentage year-to-year gains in Total Viewers (+13%), Adults 18-49 (+12%) and Adults 25-54 (+12%). In fact season to date, ABC remains the only net to show improvement on any of the three Nielsen measures, as CBS and NBC are each down.

· Coming off the prior week's season-high performance with viewers and young adults, the Net turned around and posted its 2nd strongest results since season-premiere week - since w/o 9/19/11.

· For the 2nd week in a row, ABC increased its overall audience year to year (+3% - 9.6 million vs. 9.3 million on w/o 11/15/10).

· Season-to-Date Update for Fall 2011 (All Programming/Most Current): On average, ABC is growing its overall audience this season (10.02 million vs. 9.96 million), while retaining 100% of its year-ago delivery with Adults 18-49 and Adults 18-34. The Net is also up for the season with Adults 25-54 (+3%) and Teens 12-17 (+8%). ABC ranks as the No. 2 TV network in Total Viewers, Adults 18-34 (tie) and across all key Women demographics (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54). Furthermore among Adults 18-49, ABC claims the season's No. 2 scripted series (virtually tied for No. 1, as "Modern Family" is now within 1-tenth of a rating point of catching CBS' "Two and a Half Men" for the top spot), the No. 1 drama ("Grey's Anatomy") and the Top 2 new dramas ("Once Upon a Time" and "Revenge," respectively).

With "Dancing" and "A Special Edition of 20/20" featuring Diane Sawyer's exclusive interview with Gabrielle Giffords, ABC (16.1 million) finished as Monday's most-watched television network, topping CBS by 4.0 million viewers (12.1 million - "HIMYM"/"2 Broke Girls"/"Two and a Half Men"/"Mike & Molly"/"Hawaii Five-0"), Fox by 9.3 million viewers (6.8 million - "Terra Nova"/"House") and NBC by 12.0 million viewers (4.1 million - "The Sing Off"/"Rock Center with Brian Williams"). ABC qualified as Monday's No. 1 network in Total Viewers for the 9th time in as many weeks this season. In addition among Adults 18-49 (3.0/7), ABC continued to beat out Fox by a strong margin on Monday (+25% - 2.4/6) and once again more than doubled NBC's young adult delivery on the night (+150% - 1.2/3).

· Growing for the 2nd week in a row, ABC drew best-since-premiere numbers with Total Viewers - since 9/19/11. The Net was also up over the year-ago Monday by 5% (15.3 million on 11/15/10).

"Dancing with the Stars" (8:00-10:01 p.m.)

Gaining audience from its first to second hour, the semifinals of "Dancing with the Stars" (18.0 million) made ABC the most-watched network in its time period for the 9th week running. ABC's broad-skewing dance performance show registered as the No. 2 broadcast program its time slot in key Adult demos (AD18-49/AD25-54), while running No. 1 with Women 25-54. ABC's "Dancing" qualified as Monday's most-watched TV show overall for its 6th straight telecast.

· In Total Viewers and key Adults (AD18-49/AD25-54), the special edition of "20/20" stood as ABC's biggest newsmagazine telecast in over 4 months - since 7/10/11 with Diane Sawyer's exclusive Jaycee Dugard interview. Versus Diane Sawyer's recent "ABC News Special - Jacqueline Kennedy: In Her Own Words" in September, the Gabrielle Giffords interview was up by wide margins in Total Viewers (+48%), Adults 18-49 (+60%) and Adults 25-54 (+67%).

Tuesday

ABC (10.9 million) qualified as the No. 2 most-watched TV network on Tuesday night to CBS, outdrawing Fox by 4.4 million viewers (6.5 million) and NBC by 5.0 million viewers (5.9 million). In addition, ABC beat out NBC by 10% among Adults 18-49 (2.3/6 vs. 2.1/5) on the evening.

· The Network built week to week with viewers (+4%) and young adults (+5%), while equaling its top Women 18-49 number on the night in 5 weeks - since 10/11/11.

· ABC grew over the same night last year by 5% in Adults 18-49 (2.2/6 on 11/16/10).

"Last Man Standing" (8:00-8:30 p.m.)

Starting off the night for ABC at 8:00 p.m. opposite CBS' veteran "NCIS," ABC rookie "Last Man Standing" (9.1 million) registered as the 2nd-most-watched TV program overall, besting Fox's "Glee" by 2.2 million viewers (6.9 million) and NBC's "The Biggest Loser 12" by 2.9 million viewers (6.2 million). The broad-appealing Tim Allen comedy widened its winning advantage over NBC's veteran "Biggest Loser" to 30% (2.6/7 vs. 2.0/6) among Adults 18-49 (up from an 18% advantage the prior week), while continuing to hold the No. 2 position in its time slot with Adults 25-54 and key Men (M18-49/M25-54).

· "Last Man Standing" generated big year-to-year growth in its half-hour, surging by 2.5 million viewers and by 63% in Adults 18-49 from the year-ago night ("No Ordinary Family" = 6.6 million and 1.6/5).

"Man Up!" (8:30-9:00 p.m.)

At 8:30 p.m. opposite stiff competition from the second half-hours of "NCIS" and "Glee," ABC's "Man Up!" grew its overall audience week to week (6.3 million vs. 6.2 million) and retained 100% of its Adult 18-49 delivery (1.7/5).

"Dancing with the Stars: The Results" (9:00-10:01 p.m.)

Jumping over its lead-in at 9:00 p.m. and building throughout its broadcast, ABC's "Dancing with the Stars: The Results" ran neck-and-neck with "NCIS: LA" for the Total Viewer lead in its hour (15.1 million vs. 15.2 million), while more than doubling the audiences of "The Biggest Loser" (+144% - 6.2 million) and Fox's comedies (+156% - "New Girl"/"Raising Hope" = 5.9 million). In addition, the ABC dancing results program placed No. 1 in its hour with key Women (W18-49/W25-54). "Dancing" dominated its NBC unscripted competition in the hour among Adults 18-49 (+27% - 2.8/7 vs. 2.2/5). Soccer star Hope Solo was the ninth celebrity dancer to be eliminated from the ABC dance competition this season.

· The season's penultimate episode of "DWTS: The Results" hit a 5-week high in Adults 25-54, scoring its 2nd-highest number this season (tie).

"Body of Proof" (10:01-11:00 p.m.)

ABC's "Body of Proof" earned second place during the 10 o'clock hour, beating NBC's "Parenthood" by 4.7 million viewers (9.8 million vs. 5.1 million). In fact, "Body of Proof" registered as the No. 2 most-watched program in its time slot for its 8th straight telecast this season, and ranked No. 1 with Women 25-54 for its 2nd telecast in a row.

· After being pre-empted the prior week, ABC's "Body of Proof" returned with a 5% increase among Adults 18-49 over its most recent airing, exhibiting its 2nd consecutive telecast of growth with young adults. In addition, "Body of Proof" matched a season high with Adults 25-54, while producing a best-since-premiere number with Adults 18-49 (tie).

· "Body of Proof" scored strong time period improvement for ABC over the same night last year ("Detroit 1-8-7" = 8.0 million and 1.7/5) with Total Viewers (+23%) and Adults 18-49 (+18%).

Wednesday

Opposite Fox with its 2-hour primetime comprised of "The X Factor" live performance show, ABC returned to its regular Wednesday schedule after being preempted the prior week for the "CMA Awards" with a strong second-place finish on the night among Adults 18-49. On the evening, ABC (3.3/9) outdelivered CBS by 3% (3.2/9) and more than doubled NBC's results on the evening (+106% - 1.6/4). In Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, ABC claimed Wednesday's No. 1 TV show with "Modern Family."

· The Net's regular Wednesday lineup scored strong year-to-year gains on the evening for the 8th time in as many tries this season, building by double-digit percentages over the same night last November Sweep (11/17/10) with viewers (+22% - 8.9 million vs. 7.3 million) and young adults (+22% - 3.3/9 vs. 2.7/8).

"The Middle" (8:00-8:30 p.m.)

At 8:00 p.m., ABC's "The Middle" took full control of its comedy competition in the half-hour, outdelivering NBC's "Up All Night" by 4.3 million viewers (9.2 million vs. 4.9 million) and by 58% in Adults 18-49 (3.0/9 vs. 1.9/6). In addition, the ABC comedy finished No. 2 to "The X Factor" across the 18-34 demos, beating out CBS' "Survivor: South Pacific" by strong advantages with Adults 18-34 (+38%), Men 18-34 (+19%) and Women 18-34 (+47%).

· For its 8th straight telecast this season, "The Middle" grew over its year-ago performance with Adults 18-49 (+7%).

· "The Middle" equaled a series-high in Men 18-34 and its 2nd best-ever number in Men 18-49.

"Suburgatory" (8:30-9:00 p.m.)

Building on its lead at 8:30 p.m., ABC's "Suburgatory" placed No. 2 to "The X Factor" in Adults 18-34 and Women 18-34, beating the second half-hour of CBS' "Survivor" by wide margins. The ABC freshman comedy also ranked as the No. 2 TV show in the half-hour with Teens 12-17 (tie).

· Surging 13% over its most recent telecast, "Suburgatory" hit a 5-week high with Teens 12-17 - since 10/12/11.

· For the new series' 7th time in as many airings, "Suburgatory" generated substantial improvement for the Net over the year-ago comedy ("Better with You") in the half-hour with viewers (+15% - 8.2 million vs. 7.1 million) and young adults (+26% - 2.9/8 vs. 2.3/7).

"Modern Family" (9:00-9:31 p.m.)

Jumping over its lead-in at 9:00 p.m. to win its time slot over CBS' "Criminal Minds" and Fox's "The X Factor," ABC's "Modern Family" registered as the evening's No. 1 TV program in viewers (12.9 million) and young adults (5.6/14). In fact the ABC comedy finished as Wednesday's No. 1 TV show with Adults 18-49 for the 8th consecutive airing this season.

· Bettering its year-ago telecast on each original airing this season, the ABC third-season comedy was up year to year (12.1 million and 4.8/13) in viewers (+7%) and young adults (+17%).

"Happy Endings" (9:31-10:00 p.m.)

During the 9:30 p.m. half-hour, ABC's "Happy Endings" finished as the No. 1 scripted series in its slot for its 7th straight airing with Adults 18-34 and Women 18-34.

· Despite facing increased competition year to year against the final half-hour of Fox's 2-hour "The X Factor," ABC's "Happy Endings" improved its slot by 7% in Adults 18-49 (3.2/8 vs. 3.0/8) from the year-ago night.

· "Revenge" continued to exhibit impressive year-to-year growth for ABC in the hour, jumping over the year-ago night with original Sweep programming ("25 Years of Sexy") by 93% in viewers (8.0 million vs. 4.1 million) and by 73% in Adults 18-49 (2.6/7 vs. 1.5/4). In fact, on average among viewers and young adults, "Revenge" is ABC's strongest series to air in Wednesday's 10 o'clock hour in more than 4 years - since "Lost" during the 2006-07 TV Season.

Thursday

"20/20 SP Edition -11/17" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

During the 8 o'clock hour against stiff November Sweep competition from CBS' comedies and Fox's "The X Factor," "A Special Edition of 20/20 - Regis Philbin: The Morning Maestro with Katie Couric" pulled in an impressive 8.1 million viewers on average, drawing ABC's biggest audience in the hour in 8 weeks (since 9/22/11) and its 2nd largest viewer count in 10 months - since 1/20/11. On the program, which gained viewers (+8% - 7.8 million to 8.4 million) and young adults (+14% - 1.4/4 to 1.6/4) from its first half-hour to its second half-hour, the undisputed king of morning television welcomed Katie Couric and ABC News cameras to capture a side of Regis rarely seen.

· The ABC newsmagazine boosted the Net's delivery in the hour week to week by 3.0 million viewers (8.1 million vs. 5.1 million) and by 36% in Adults 18-49 (1.5/4 vs. 1.1/3), and also topped its season averages in the time period (6.2 million and 1.4/4) with viewers (+1.9 million) and young adults (+7%).

"Private Practice" (9:00-11:00 p.m.)

Gaining sharply on its Adult 18-49 lead-in at 9:00 p.m. (+73% - 2.6/7 vs. 1.5/4) and building from its first to second hour (+8% - 2.5/6 to 2.7/7), ABC's 2-hour fall finale of "Private Practice" moved up to rank as the No. 1 drama from 10:00-11:00 p.m. (2.7/7), beating CBS' "Mentalist" (+8% - 2.5/7) and NBC's "Prime Suspect" (+145% - 1.1/3). The show ran No. 1 in its 2-hour time period and stood as the highest-rated drama of the night across all key Women demos (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54). In addition, "Private Practice" finished as the No. 1 drama in Thursday's 10 o'clock hour for the 8th straight week with Adults 18-34 and Women 18-34.

Returning after a preemption the prior week, a second installment of ABC's "Home Edition" shot up by 23% over its lead-in in Total Viewers (5.8 million) to rank No. 2 in the 9 o'clock hour, leading NBC's "Grimm" by 7% (5.4 million) and doubling Fox's "Fringe" (+100% - 2.9 million). The ABC unscripted series ranked No. 1 in its time slot versus its network rivals in Adults 18-34 (tie), Women 18-34 (tie), Teens 12-17 and Kids 2-11.

· Building on its most recent telecast two weeks ago, "Home Edition" posted the series' 2nd-highest-ever ratings on Friday in viewers and young adults (best-since-premiere numbers on the evening).

"20/20" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

In the 10:00 p.m. hour, ABC's "20/20" ranked No. 1 with Women 18-34 (1.3/4-tie). "20/20" featured a rare look inside the secret world of a polygamous family, a Brian Ross exclusive investigation into the safety of eggs and an interview by Elizabeth Vargas with Tim Allen from ABC's "Last Man Standing."

· "20/20" equaled its top rating in 4 weeks with Adults 18-34 (0.9/3) and Women 18-34, tying its 2nd-best numbers this season.

Saturday

Coverage of "Saturday Night Football" (USC at Oregon/Oklahoma at Baylor) made ABC a solid No. 1 on Saturday evening in Total Viewers (7.9 million) and across each of the key adult demographics: Adults 18-34 (2.3/9), Adults 18-49 (2.7/8) and Adults 25-54 (3.1/9). In fact, ABC beat the other major networks combined (CBS, NBC, and Fox) by 4% in Adults 18-49 (2.7/8 vs. 2.6/8).

· In Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, the Network posted its 2nd-strongest Saturday of the season, while also seeing gains over the year-ago Saturday (6.2 million and 1.7/6 on 11/20/10) of 27% in viewers and 59% in young adults.

· ABC's "Saturday Night Football" easily qualified as the No. 1 TV show on Saturday among Total Viewers (9.7 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.4/11) for the 2nd week running.

· "Saturday Night Football" was up over coverage of the prior week's game (Oregon at Stanford on 11/12/11 = 8.7 million and 3.0/9) by 1.0 million viewers and by 13% in young adults to deliver its best numbers in 3 years - best since 11/22/08. In addition, "Saturday Night Football" catapulted over coverage on the year-ago night (6.5 million and 1.8/6 on 11/20/10) by 3.2 million viewers and by 89% in Adults 18-49.

Sunday

"2011 American Music Awards" (8:00-11:00 p.m.)

Opposite fierce competition on the evening, including a high rated and down-to-the-wire "Sunday Night Football" contest (NY Giants-Philadelphia Eagles) and an NFL primetime overrun-boosted CBS, the "2011 American Music Awards" made ABC the dominant No. 1 non-sports network from 8:00-11:00 p.m. among Adults 18-49 (4.3/10), towering over CBS by 87% (2.3/5) and Fox by 72% (2.5/6 - 8:00-10:00 p.m. average). In addition, ABC's "AMA" broadcast won its 3-hour time period over "Sunday Night Football" to stand as the No. 1 TV show of the night across all key Women (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54), Teens 12-17 and Kids 2-11 (top broadcast show).

· The "American Music Awards" was up year to year in Total Viewers (+3% - 12.1 million vs. 11.7 million) and retained 100% of its Adult 18-49 audience (4.3/10). In fact, the "AMAs" grew year to year across virtually all key younger demographics: AD18-34 (+5%), W18-34 (+8%), M18-34 (+4%), W18-49 (+2%), M18-49 (+3%) and Teens 12-17 (+24%). The "American Music Awards" scored its highest Teen 12-17 number in 7 years - since 2004.

· Despite the intense competition during primetime, ABC achieved Sunday night season highs with its coverage of the "2011 AMAs" among Total Viewers and Adults 18-49. The show generated ABC's top Adult 18-49 number in the time period with entertainment programming in 9 months - since the "Academy Awards" on 2/27/11.

· An estimated 32.0 million viewers watched at least some portion of the "2011 American Music Awards" on ABC during its 3-hour broadcast - unduplicated Viewers 2+ watching 6 minutes or more of the broadcast.

Source: The Nielsen Company, National, Live+ Same Day Program Ratings, week of 11/14/11.